The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turpbojet powered supersonic passenger airliner, produced bewteen the British and French companies. The Concorde programme was instigated through the Anglo-French government treaty which brought together both the French company Aerospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (now BEA systems ). The First Concorde prototype flew in 1969, and Concorde entered service in 1976, continuing for 27 years. Only 20 aircraft were built, the development phase represented a substantial economic loss. Both British Airways and Air France were subsidised by their governments to buy the aircraft. The Concorde flew mainly between London and New York or Washington taking less than half the time than any other airliner. The Air France Concordes also flew form Charles Degaulle airport in Paris. The only crash was of a Air France Concorde on the 25th pf July 2000, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and other financial factors caused the Concorde fleet to cease flying on the 24th October 2003, with the last flights being on the 26th of November 2003. Concorde will remain an aviation great.

Latest info : At the beginning of 2010, Ivan is working on the partner painting to the fantastic large World War One aviation combat painting which was painted in 2009. The World War Two partner painting will be the same massive size of 78 inches by 36 inches. The scene will show the battle above Convoy CW8 in the English Channel on 25th July 1940. Ivan chose this scene because it features several aircraft types and some quite well-known fighter pilots. In the picture are Spitfires, Hurricanes, Bf.109s and Stukas. The Stukas were bombing the convoy and British aircraft of 64 Sqn, 54 Sqn and 111 Sqn were scrambled to defend the ships, but were outnumbered by five to one. Because of the view, Dover itself is not visible in the scene, but the action is taking place above a sunlit sea where the convoy is clearly visible under attack. Over the next few months progress photos of this fantatstic painting will be shown.

Over the last 30 years, Ivan Berryman has become a leading aviation, motor racing and naval artist. In this time, the subjects of his paintings have been wide and varied as he has deliberately strived to include some of the lesser know aircraft, ships and events in his portfolio, which includes aircraft like the Defiant, TSR2, Beaufort, ships including MTBs and corvettes, and around 100 different aircraft of the first world war. In addition to this he has taken new approaches to the classic subjects of his field, including the Dambuster Lancasters, Battle of Britain Spitfires, Bf109s and Hurricanes, HMS Hood, Bismarck and the best known naval ships, as well as some iconic sporting moments. In his own words : Art and aviation have been like a brother and sister to me. We have grown up together, learned together and made our adult lives together. But you do not have to have an appreciation of aircraft to admire the graceful lines of a Spitfire or the functional simplicity of a Focke-Wulf 190. They are themselves a work of art and they cry out to be painted - not as machines of war and destruction, but as objects of beauty, born of necessity and function, yet given a life and iconic classicism beyond their original calling. My interest and love of art and aircraft was gifted to me by my father, a designer and aeronautical engineer of considerable repute. Denis Berryman C.Eng. FRAeS. He gave me his eyes, his passion, his dedication and his unwavering professionalism. I owe him everything. And I miss him terribly. A love of art and of beautiful and interesting things takes you on a journey. You discover new interests, new fascinations, and you want to paint them. You want to paint them in their environment, in their element. Whether it is an aeroplane, a warship, a racing car or a beautiful woman, their gift to an artist is the same: Their lines, their texture and the way that light and shadows give them form. These are the food and oxygen of an artist. Not the paint and the canvas. These are mere tools. The secret is in the passion and the perception...

Ivan with some of his original paintings in the originals gallery at Cranston Fine Arts and in his studio.